1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, e.g., a disk drive, and more particularly, to a disk drive including a suspension assembly with a limiter that can limit roll and pitch movements for a flexure caused by external shocks or vibrations in order to prevent damage to a slider and a head of the disk drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hard disk drives (HDDs), which can be used to store information for computers, reproduce and/or record data from/to a disk using a read/write head, for example.
Head parking methods for the HDDs can roughly be classified into contact start stop (CSS) methods or ramp loading methods.
In the CSS methods, a slider can rest on a surface of a parking zone, formed along an inner circumference of the disk in a HDD, due to an elastic force of a suspension assembly when a HDD does not operate, that is, when the disk is not rotating.
In the ramp loading methods, a ramp can be installed outside the circumference of the disk and a corresponding head of the HDD can be parked on the ramp when the HDD is not operating.
FIG. 1 illustrates a disk drive, with FIG. 2 illustrating a vertical sectional view of a suspension assembly used in such a disk drive.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the disk drive may include a medium, e.g,. a disk 1, a spindle motor 2 rotating the disk 1, and an actuator 3 moving a read/write head (not shown) to a desired position on the disk 1. The read/write head can be used to reproduce and/or record data from/to the disk 1.
In detail, the actuator 3 can include a swing arm 4, rotating due to a rotational force produced by a voice coil motor (VCM, not shown), and a suspension assembly 5 installed along an end of the swing arm 4. The suspension assembly 5 can elastically bias an air bearing slider 8, on which the read/write head is mounted, toward a surface of the disk 1.
In further detail, the suspension assembly 5 can include a load beam 6 coupled to an end of the swing arm 4, a flexure 7 extending from a rear surface of the load beam 6, and the air bearing slider 8 coupled to a rear surface of the flexure 7. The flexure 7 can support the slider 8, on which the read/write head is mounted. The slider 8, with the head thereon, can fly at a predetermined height above the surface of the disk 1 due to a lifting force produced by rotation of the disk 1, thereby maintaining a predetermined distance between the head and the surface of the disk 1.
Further, a dimple 9, formed on the load beam 6, can protrude toward the flexure 7. The dimple 9 can provide a predetermined elastic force to the flexure 7. In this structure, the flexure 7 may move more freely, within desired bounds, such that smooth roll and pitch movements of the slider 8 attached to the flexure 7 can be made.
In the ramp loading method, the actuator 3 can be loaded over the disk 1 to reproduce data recorded in the disk 1 and/or record data to the disk 1. When the data reproduction or storage process is not performed, the actuator 3 can be parked on the ramp that is installed on an outer circumference side, spaced a predetermined distance from the disk 1.
In the ramp loading mode, when the actuator 3 is unloaded from being over the disk 1, to move to the ramp, a negative pressure is applied to the slider 8, such that the load beam 6 and the flexure 7 become spaced apart from each other. In addition, an end-tap can be formed on an end portion of the actuator 3. When unloaded, the actuator 3 contacts the ramp and then rises along a slope of the ramp. However, during the rise of the actuator 3, the flexure 7 maintains its existing orientation, due to inertia, at the same height as when the end-tap contacts the ramp. Accordingly, as noted above, the flexure 7 can become temporarily separated from the dimple 9, thereby separating the load beam 6 from the flexure 7. If the load beam 6 becomes separated from the flexure 7, in this way, there is a risk that the slider 8 may collide with the disk, causing damage to the head mounted on the slider 8 and/or the disk 1.
In order to prevent such damage, in the conventional HDDs, a limiter 10 is formed on the conventional suspension assembly 5. The limiter 10 has an end fixed to the flexure 7, and a free end extending through a hole 20 formed in the load beam 6 to face a top surface of the load beam 6. With this structure, if the flexure 7 separates from the load beam 6, a bottom surface of the free end of the limiter 10 can contacts the top surface of the load beam 6, thereby limiting the distance between the separated flexure 7 and load beam 6 to a predetermined range.
Although the conventional limiter 10 may effectively control a vertical movement of the flexure 7, the limiter 10 cannot control roll and pitch movements of the free end of the flexure 7 along bend portions, discussed below, caused by external shocks or vibrations.
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a pair of opposing conventional suspension assemblies, with flexures thereof rolling and pitching.
Referring to FIG. 3, when a HDD employs a plurality of suspension assemblies 5 and 12, the suspension assemblies 5 and 12 can be paired to face each other. That is, respective load beams 6 and 13, flexures 7 and 14, sliders 8 and 15, dimples 9 and 16, and limiters 10 and 17 can be oriented to face each other. Here, reference numerals 11 and 18 denote the aforementioned bent portions formed when the flexures 7 and 14 are bent at a predetermined angle.
Before being assembled into a main body of the disk drive, the facing suspension assemblies 5 and 12 are moved. If external shocks or vibrations are applied to the suspension assemblies 5 and 12 during the movement, the flexures 7 and 14 roll and pitch about the bent portions 11 and 18 due to the shocks or vibrations.
As described above, the respective conventional limiters 10 and 17 can act as stoppers to control vertical movements of the flexures 7 and 14, but cannot act as stoppers to control roll and pitch movements of the flexures 7 and 14 about bent portions 11 and 18. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, respective free ends of the limiters 10 and 17, facing the load beams 6 and 13, extend toward fixed ends of the flexures 7 and 14. Accordingly, when respective flexures 7 and 14 roll and pitch about the bent portions 11 and 18, the free ends of the limiters 10 and 17 actually become spaced further apart from the load beams 6 and 13. Accordingly, the limiters 10 and 17 fail to control, within a predetermined range, roll and pitch movements of the sliders 8 and 15 caused by the roll and pitch movements of the flexures 7 and 14, leading to potential contact between the sliders 8 and 15. Due to such contacts, heads mounted on or under the sliders 8 and 15 may be damaged.